South of the Border, West of the Sun : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: One of the best stories I have read
Review: This book will have quite an appeal to the family man or anyone caught in the precariousness of life, love, job, and family, as they reach their thirties and beyond. Very simple and honest in narrative style, it primarily tracks a man's life through his loves. I thought the book was very strong in emotion, without there being any violence, drama, or harsh language. I was completely engrossed from beginning to end, and I feel this book changed me. If you've read and enjoyed the author's short short "On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl..." (in "The Elephant Vanishes"), you will most certainly revel in this novel. Well done, Haruki. Please give us more like this.

Rating:
Summary: A slight, but enjoyable novel
Review: This is an intense, entertaining take on a familiar plot. The portrayal of Hajime, a bored, rich thirty something Tokyo businessman who feels that there is a big hole in his life, is intense and credible. Shimamoto, by contrast, is a sketch that the author doesn't want to colour in for his readers. Hajime says of her - "A quiet smile that nothing could ever touch, revealing nothing to me of what lay beyond". We learn little about Shimamoto's personality or her appeal for Hajime. Does the adult Shimamoto really exist or is she just a figment of his adult daydreams? It doesn't matter. The fact that this loose ends are not tied up is for me a strength rather than a weakness, but if you are the sort of reader who likes a tidy, closed ending, you will be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: my kind of story
Review: South of the border, west of the sun is my first Murakami's novel I have read. Since then I read this story over and over again. This seems to be very personal story to the author himself. The main character Hajime carrys on his love for his first girl friend for 20 years and he could never once forget about her. This might seem unrealistic and obssesive but ,to me, this is reality and sanity itself. I am offen surprised by stories of people that could get over their old love so easily and find new one in a short time. I wonder how true was thier love and how sepcial they were to each other. However, the main character Hajime also hurts his second girl friend Izumi unrecoverablely and after He lost Simamoto at last, he gradually forgets even about her. In this story, I could see how he lives intensely and looses powerlessly. It is sad but worth to read.

Rating:
Summary: South of the Border, West of the sun
Review: I couldn't stop to loving this book when I read it at the very beginning time, in fact, I like all the books of Mr. Murakami. His books always give me a wonderful reading time, When reading his books, all the words are organizing an unknown world which attract me to to see what on earth people can give up things like that way, or indifferent to the social rules. It may not suitable for those pestimistic people, but it is very good for people who want to find some words to help him out of desprate.

Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: I read the Wind Up Bird Cronicle and absolutely adored it. I couldn't wait to read another masterpiece from Murakami but all this book left me with was an empty feeling. I will give him another chance to impress me though as I have just ordered "Hard Boiled..."

Rating:
Summary: Unremarkable
Review: Usually a book evokes some sort of reaction in you whether it be minor or major, but I was surprised to discover a book so unremarkable I was left with no reaction at all. The simple writing style I found quite dull, though I suppose his technique might have been lost in the translation. As for the story, it's a nice enough idea - pining for something you can't have - but you need a fair deal of tension and evocative writing in order to convey the anguish of lost love, and I'm afraid this book just doesn't have it. I've read the other reviews and many other people have commented that a) this is one of the worst of the author's works and b) that the story has many loose ends. Well, I haven't read many of his other books so I can't comment on his talent as a writer, but it is true that the story has many loose ends. However, you care so little for the characters you don't care about the unexplained aspects. Easily forgettable.

Rating:
Summary: Hey, where's the rest of it?
Review: Frankly, this is only half a book. Too many plot lines are left unanswered. I'm all for some things being left to the reader's imagination, but hey, throw me a freakin' bone here. Basically this is a bit like an autobiographical apology for some indiscretion on the author's part dressed in the thinnest of plot shells. Consign this one to the Barbara Taylor-Bradford catalogue. Next please, Mr Murakami!

Rating:
Summary: Totally stinks
Review: I didn't believe other people that I had heard dissing this book. Don't let any personal attachment you have Mr. Murakami's other wonderful novels convince you to give this one a chance. It stinks. The most boring of male fantasies. It stinks.

Rating:
Summary: say what?
Review: Murakami is a master author. his talent, however, is wasted on this hackneyed plot. After a string of masterpieces that astound and push the envelope of literature, Murakami retreats into a soft-porn world of rehashed characters. It seems that he is afraid to excercize himself. This book is something I would expect from a writer like Danielle Steele, not a master craftsman like Murakami. The talent is still visible through the haze of predictability, though, leaving hope that forthcoming books will return to his previous standards of excellence.

Rating:
Summary: Eh...
Review: Certainly not his best work. I want to say it was enjoyable enough, his writing style did come through, but in retrospect it really wasn't all that engrossing. This one I should have gone down to B&N Brick and Mortar to review first.